host: what are the odds we go over the fiscal cliff? guest: i am an optimist, i do not think we will, but when we wait until the last minute, something could go wrong. we got right to the last minute on what could've been made government shut down in april, 2011. the last minute on the fiscal cliff -- i do not think it is a good way to do business. it seems to be the way we are doing business in this town. host: if we were to go over, what happens? guest: probably, congress would be back in session quickly and we would do something but i am talking about right now, hopefully, and continue to negotiate. it is not to question of dollars and cents. some people have said we could let the rates go up and the republicans could take something down and they could call that a tax cut. people would lose faith in the institution and political leadership. trust is a funny commodity. you have it until you do not. you do not get it back if you lose the trust and then do the right thing the next day. we should convince the country, the markets and the